Lynk satellite D2D for Solomon Islands
November 9, 2023
By Chris Forrester
Washington, DC-based satellite operator, Lynk Global, has started what it describes as an “initial” direct-to-device service in the Solomon Islands.
The service is in partnership with bmobile, which serves the Islands with a population of about 70,000. The first service will be for SMS and Text messages.
bmobile subscribers can use their existing mobile phones to send and receive text messages in Makira, one of the country’s nine provinces, by connecting to Lynk’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation.
Dan Dooley, Lynk’s CCO, said bmobile has plans to expand across to the entire island nation in 2024 as Lynk launch more satellites. He added that around three-quarters of the population live in small villages outside the urban area.
Lynk currently operates just three satellites and is scheduling the launch of three more before this year is over. Its long-term plan is to cover the planet with a constellation of 5,000 satellites.